Golf club carrier



1961 H. 1.. SCHEMENAUER 3,01

GOLF CLUB CARRIER 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Aug. 3, 1959 INVENTOR.

HAROLD L. SCHEMENAUER ATTORNEYS Dec. 26, 1961 H. L. SCHEMENAUER GOLF CLUB CARRIER 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug. 3, 1959 Zlp 4b 34 I 1 lj-4- INVENTOR.

HAROLD LSCHEMENAUER BY A-r-rotausys Dec. 26, 1961 H. L. SCHEMENAU-ER 3,014,732

GOLF CLUB CARRIER Filed Aug. 5. 1959 I 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR. HAROLD L SCHEMENAUER @QM Q ATTORNEYS Dec. 26, 1961 Filed Aug. 3, 1959 H. L. SCHEMENAUER GOLF CLUB CARRIER 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 I .w bk I 172.

i. will INVENTOR. HAROLD L. SCHEMENAUER BIQJLALZ ATTORNEYS Dec- 26, 1961 H. L. SCHEMENAUER 3,014,732

GOLF CLUB CARRIER 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Aug. 3, 1959 INVENTOR.

ATTORNEYS 3,til4,?32 Patented Dec.'26, 1961 3,014,732 GOLF CLUB CARRIER Harold L. Schemenauer, Holland, Ohio, assignor to The Hehbe Company, Toledo, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Filed Aug. 3, 1959, Ser. No. 831,287 6 Claims. (Cl. 280--41) This invention relates to an improved golf club carrier.

The present invention provides an improved golf club carrier which has several advantages over those known in the art. A golf club carrier according to the invention includes an undercarriage which can be swung back into a space defined by a golf club container in order to take a minimum amount of room, little more than a conventional golf bag alone, so that the carrier can even be placed in a locker of the size usually found at country clubs. In a preferred form, the wheels protrude from the golf club container when they are retracted to enable the carrier to be rolled along a surface whereby the wheels can be retracted and the carrier then can be rolled a short distance to a locker or car trunk, for example. Agolf club carrier according to the invention also has improved means for maintaining the wheels in parallel arrangement whether they are in extended, closed, or retracted position. The new golf club carrier also includes a seat which is pivotally attached to an under portion of the carrier and can be swung to an outer, sitting position, or can be placed in a collapsed positionadjacent the golf club container. None of the weight of a person resting on the seat is borne by the carrier but is entirely borne by the ground or other supporting surface. The golf club container of the new carrier is extruded. in three sections, forming a U-shape in lateral cross section, with both legs of the U formed from the same extrusion die so that all three sections can be extruded from only two extrusion dies.

It is, therefore, a principal object of the invention to provide a golf club carrier having the advantages outlined above and many other advantages which will be apparent from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment of the invention, reference being made to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a view in perspective of a golf club carrier according to the invention with an undercarriage and a handle in extended positions;

FIG. 2 isa side view in elevation of the golf club carrier with the wheels in a closed, retracted position and with the handle in a collapsed position;

FIG. 3 is a front'view in elevation of the golf club carrier with the wheels in the closed, retracted position and with only a fragment of the handle shown;

FIG. 4 is a view in cross section taken along the line 44 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a view in cross section of the golf club carrier taken along the line 5-5 of FIG. 3 but showing the undercarriage in a forward position;

FIG. 6 is a front view in elevation of the undercarriage in an extended position;

FIG. 7 is a view similar to FIG. 6 but with the undercarriage in a closed position;

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary view incross section taken along the line 88 of FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a view in cross section, with parts broken away, taken along the line 9--9 of FIG. 6;

FIG. 10 is a detailed view in cross section taken along the line ltl10 of FIG. 1, of a track and roller employed in the undercarriage;

FIG. 11 is an enlarged, detailed fragmentary view in perspective of a stop member used to attach the undercarriage to a golf club container of the carrier;

FIG. 12 is a detailed view in perspective of a wheel axle and the track shown in FIG. 10; l

- an upright, stationary position.

FIG. 13 is a side view in elevation of a seat employed with the golf club carrier which is shown in dotted lines;

FIG. 14 is a top view of the seat shown in FIG. 13;

FIG. 15 is a view in perspective of, the seat;

FIG. 16 is a front view in elevation of the seat; and

FIG. 17 is a view in perspective of a catch used to hold the seat in an opened position.

Referring to the drawings and more particularly to FIG. 1, a golf club carrier 20 according to the invention includes-a go-f club container 22, an undercarriage 24 with wheels 26, and a handle 28. Golf clubs, indicated by dotted lines, are placed in the container 22 which is then pulled around a golf course on the Wheels 26 by means of the handle 28 which is pressed downwardly slightly to raise the lower portion of the container 22 off the ground whenthe carrier 26 is in motion.

nally extending receptacles, each of which is adapted to receive a shaft of a golf club. Fourteen of these receptacles are provided to accommodate a full set of clubs.

Four woods, being the longest clubs, are generally placed in the long receptacles of the section 38, and the irons are placed in the receptacles of the sections'36 and 4% with the long irons adjacent the woods and the short irons toward the handleZS. l

The three sections 36, 38, and 4d are preferably made of extruded plastic material with the cross-sectional shapes of the outer sections 36 and 40 being identical so that two extrusion dies can be employed to make all threesections. Outer edge portions of the outer sections 36 and 40 have grooves 48 (FIGS. 4, 9 and 11), each of which can receive an edge portion of a fabric sheet which can be wrapped around the outer periphery of the container 2 2 to achieve an appearance that the container is made of fabric or cloth. The edges of the fabric sheet are held in the grooves 48 by strips (not shown) which wedge the edges therein. The fabric sheet then can be removed for washing or for changing if ripped or if a new design is desired. The outer edge portions of the sections 36 and 40 have tubular walls 56 and 52 integral therewith (FIGS; 4, 9, and 11), through which metal tubes 54 and 56 extend. The tubes 54 and 56 are suitably aflixed to the upper and lower collars 32 and 34 to hold the three pieces 30, 32, and 34 together. The lower ends of the tubes 54 and 56 have horizontal extensions 58 and 60 extending toward the intermediate section 38 with tip'portions 62 and 64 bent downwardly to form legs on which the container 22can be supported when in The leg extensions 58 and 60 are held in position by a lateral extension brace 66 (FIGS. 4 and 5).

The U-shaped bottom collar 34 has a bottom wall 68 (FIG. 5) on which the ends of the golf club shafts rest and side walls 70 and 72 which fit around the lower edges.

of the three sections 36, 38, and 40. The lower collar 34 is held in place primarily by means of the metal connecting tubes 54 and 56, but other fastenings can also be used, if deemed desirable.

The upper, U-shaped collar 32 has partitions 74 (FIGS. 1 and 2 correspondingto the partitions 46 of the sections as, as, and 4s, and also side walls 76 and 78 (FIG. 5) which fit over-the upper edges of the three sections to aid-in holding them together. 'The upper collar 32 is held in place primarily by'the metal tubes '54 and 56 although other suitable fas-tenings can also be used. The

inner side wall 76 also fits over an upper flange 80 (FIG. 5) of an oval metal ring 82 which serves as an upper reinforcement for the container 22 and extends beyond the edges of the outer sections 36 and 40 to provide a connecting part for the handle 28 which is affixed thereto by a connecting bolt 84 (FIGS. 1 and 2) by means of which the handle 28 can be held in an extended position as shown in FIG. 1 or in a collapsed position as shown in FIG. 2. In the latter position, the lower end of the handle 28 contacts the ground and prevents the carrier 20 from tilting forwardly when the wheels 26 are retracted into a void defined by the U-shaped container 22.

The outer portion of the metal ring 82 has a fabric wall 86 (FIGS. 1-3 and 5) attached thereto which forms a front wall of a large compartment 88 (FIG. 5) defined by the fabric wall 86, an upper portion of the container 22, and a compartment floor 90, a front portion of which is attached to a part of the undercarriage 24 by a rod 91 and a rear portion of which is supported by a strap 92 hanging downwardly from the rear portion of the metal ring 82. The compartment 88 can be reached through a zipper 94 in the fabric wall 86 or through a lid 96 on the metal ring 82.

The metal ring 82 also has a lateral partition 98 near a front portion thereof with a shallow fabric bag 100 attached to a front portion of the ring 82 and the lateral partition 98 to form a small compartment for tees, pencils, and the like, which compartment 102 is exposed when the lid 96 is opened. The lid 96 is provided with a tag 104 for the golfers name and address and with a spring 106, for the purpose of holding tees, pencils, or lighted cigarettes in readily available positions.

The undercarriage 24 includes a connecting plate 108 which is pivotally attached at its upper end to two stop members 110 and 112, each of which has arcuate edges 114 (FIGS. 9 and 11) adapted to cooperate with a portion of the tubular walls 50 and 52 at the outer edges of the container sections 36 and 40. Lug clamps 116 and 118 (FIG. 9) fit around the opposite sides of the tubular walls 50 and 52 and are screwed to the stop members 110 and 112 to hold them firmly in place approximately half-way between the opposite sides of the tubular walls 50 and 52 and are screwed to the stop members 110 and 112 to hold them firmly in place approximately half-way between the upper and lower edges of the sections 36 and 40. The connecting plate 108 also has a hand grip 120 at the upper portion thereof by means of which the carrier 20 can be lifted off the ground, if desired.

A pair of supporting struts 122 and 124 for the wheels 26, each havean upper slanted portion 126, a lower slanted portion 128, and an intermediate straight portion 130. When the wheels 26 are in their closed position, as shown in FIG. 3, each intermediate portion 130 assumes a slanted position and the upper and lower portions 126 and 128 assume vertical positions. Each of the upper portions 126 have legs 132 and 134 (FIG. 9) pivotally connected to cylindrical extensions 136 at the upper, outer corners of the connecting plate 108. Lower side flange extensions 138 and 140 (FIGS. and 12) of the lower slanted portions 128 of the struts 122 and 124 are pivotally connected to axle base portions 142 from which extend wheel axles 144 (FIG. 12).

The undercarriage 24 also includes guide struts 146 and 148 each pivoted at intermediate portions between side flanges 149 and 150 of the supporting struts 122 and 124. The upper ends of the guide struts 146 and 148 are provided with a common pin 151 which extends through the upper ends of both struts and rotatably holds bearing rollers 152 and 154 (FIG. 9). The bearing roller 152 rides in a track 156 which is integral with the back of the connecting plate 108 and the bearing roller 154 rides in a track 158 attached to a backing plate 160 which is screwed to cylindrical extensions 162 and 164 of the connecting plate 108. The lower end of each of the guide struts 146 and 148 is provided with a pin 166 (FIG. 10) which rotatably holds bearing rollers 168 and 170 in a track 172 attached to the axle base 142 and is perpendicular to the axle 144. While the track 172 need not be perpendicular to the axle 144, it must be parallel to the tracks 156 and 158 when the axle 144 is substantially horizontal and the wheel 26 is substantially vertical. In this manner, the guide struts 146 and 148 maintain the tracks 172 parallel to the tracks 156 and 158 and, hence, maintain the axles 144 horizontally and the wheels 26 vertically whether the supporting struts 122 and 124 are in an extended, outer position as shown in FIG. 7, or in a closed, retracted position as shown in FIGS. 24. The lower rollers 168 and 170 ride upwardly in the tracks 172 when the wheels 26 and the struts 122 and 124 are moved from a closed to an extended position and, at the same time, the upper rollers 152 and 154 move downwardly in the tracks 156 and 158.

Outward movement of the supporting struts 122 and 124 is limited by a flange 174 on each of the stop members and 112, which flange contacts the upper slanted portion 126 of each of the supporting struts 122 and 124. At the same time, rearward movement of the struts 122 and 124 is limited by a second flange 176 on each of the stop members 110 and 112 which is parallel to and contacts the rear edge of each of the upper, slanted portions 126. As shown in FIG. 3, the flanges 176 are clear of the struts 122 and 124 when they are in their closed position, and thus do not inhibit rearward movement thereof in this instance.

A coil spring 178 (FIGS. 6, 7, and 9) helps to maintain the supporting struts 122 and 124 in either their extended or closed position. The spring 178 has a first end portion 180 (FIG. 9) pivotally connected to the cylindrical extension 164 of the connecting plate 108 and a second end portion 182 pivotally connected to the pin extending through the upper ends of the guide struts 146 and 148. The end portions and 182 of the spring 178 are constantly urged outwardly, one away from the other, and thereby tend to urge the upper ends of the struts 146 and 148 upwardly when the wheels 26 and the supporting struts 122 and 124 are in their closed position, as shown in FIG. 7. Similarly, the spring 178 urges the upper ends of the guide struts 146 and 148 downwardly when the wheels 126 and the supporting struts 122 and 124 are in their extended positions, as shown in FIG. 6.

A second coil spring 184 (FIGS. 5, 8, and 9) is provided to aid in maintaining the wheels 26 and the supporting struts 122 and 124 in either their outer position or their retracted position. The second coil spring 184 has a first end portion 186 extending through a spring plate 188 which is a part of the clamp 118 for the stop member 112 and extends rearwardly thereof. A second end portion 199 of the second coil spring 184 extends through a connecting plate extension 192 which is screwed to the connecting plate 108 through the cylindrical extension 164. The end portions 186 and are urged away one from the other as is true for the spring 178. The second end portion 190 of the coil spring 184 is above the first end portion 186 (FIG. 8) when the wheels 26 and the supporting struts 122 and 124 are in their retracted position, and, hence, the spring 184 urges the wheels and struts to remain in that position. Similarly, when the Wheels 26 and the supporting struts 122 and 124 are in their outer position, whether extended or closed, the second end portion 190 of the coil spring 184 is below the first end portion 186 (FIG. 5) and the spring urges the wheels and the struts to remain in that position.

The plate 188 has a stop button 194 (FIGS. 8 and 9) which contacts a stop flange 196 of the connecting plate extension 192 when the wheels 26 and the supporting struts 122 and 124 are in their outer position (FIG. 5)

and thus limits forward movement of the struts 122 and 124. A stop arm 197 is mounted on the cross brace 66 and contacts the struts 122 and 124 when retracted to limit rearward movement thereof.

The wheels 26, when in the closed, retracted position, protrude slightly below the lower end of the container 22 so that the container 22 can be rolled on the wheels 26 even when retracted. Thus, the undercarriage can be closed and retracted at a convenient location and then rolled a short distance to a locker or a car trunk, for example. The wheels 26 protrude in this manner by attaching the stop members 110 and 112 to the sections 36 and 40 so that they will be at a distance from the bottom of the container 22 which is less than the length of the strut 122 or 1.24 and the radius of the wheel 26.

Referring to FIGS. l317, a seat 193 is attached to the carrier 20 represented in dotted lines in FIG. 13. The seat 198 includes a first pair of legs 2% and 292 connected at their lower ends by a tubular brace 204 and connected at their upper ends by a rod 2%. The legs 200 and 202 are bent in a shallow V-shaped configuration and are pivotally attached at the bottom of the Vs by a pin 208 'to a cross bar 210 which is afiixed to intermediate portions of two generally L-shaped legs 212 and 214-, the upper ends or" which are connected by an inverted U-shaped clamp 216. A seat web 218, attached to the rod 266 and the U-shaped clamp 216, preferably of triangular shape so that one sitting thereon can comfortably straddle it. The lower ends of the L-shaped legs 212 and 214 include lower extensions 220 and 222 which are connected to the tubular extensions 58 and 61) whereby the junction of the legs 212, 214 and the extensions 2211, 222 can rest on the ground and support all weight on the seat 198 when opened, and yet can enable the seat 198 to be collapsed against the intermediate section 38 of the container 22 when not in use. The seat 198 is held against the section 38 by a suitable strap or clamp (not shown) which engage the tubular legs 212 and 214.

If desired, a catch bar 224 is afiixed to the brace bar 210 and slants upwardly and outwardly therefrom when the seat 198 is opened. A longitudinally extending slot 226 in the catch bar 224 has a notch 228 at the lower end, in which is engaged a catch rod 230 when the seat is opened. The rod 230 is pivotally attached to upper portions of the legs 200 and 292 to spread the legs 2%, 202 and 212, 214 and to hold the seat 198 in the opened position when one is sitting on it.

Many modifications of the above-described embodiment of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art and it is to be understood that such modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention if within the scope and spirit of the appended claims.

I claim: a

1. A golf club carrier comprising wall means forming at least one elongated receptacle arranged in U- shaped configuration and a lower, wheel-receiving recess having a lower, open end, a collapsible undercarriage including a pair of wheels, a pair of supporting struts rotatably connected to said wheels, a connecting plate to which said supporting struts are pivotally attached for movement between an extended position with the struts diverging and a closed position with the struts adjacent one another, and means for pivotally attaching said plate relative to said wall means at a location intermediate upper and lower edges of said wall means to enable said plate to swing in a plane perpendicular to the plane of movement of said struts between the closed and extended positions to move said struts between an outer position with the wheels spaced from said wall means and a retracted position with at least a substantial portion of the struts and a substantial portion of said wheels substantially within the open end recess defined by said well means with the wheels extending therebelow to provide support even when in their closed position.

2. A golf club carrier according to claim 1 characterized by said pivoting means including a stop member attached to said wall means and pivotally holding said connecting plate, and means associated with said stop member to limit movement of said supporting struts toward their retracted position when said struts are in their extended position.

3. A golf club carrier according to claim 2 and additional means associated with said stop member to limit movement of said struts away from their closed-position.

4. A golf club carrier according to claim 2 and additional means associated with said stop member to limit outward movement of said connecting plate away from the retracted position.

5. A golf club carrier comprising wall means forming a plurality of parallel, elongated receptacles adapted to receive the shafts of golf clubs, and an undercarriage comprising a pair of wheels, a pair of supporting struts pivotally attached to axles on which said wheels are rotatably mounted, a pair of guide struts pivoted at intermediate portions to intermediate portions of said supporting struts, connecting means for connecting said supporting struts to said wallmeans, said supporting struts being pivotally mounted on said connecting means for movement between a closed position with the struts adjacent one another and an extended position with the struts diverging, means associated with said connecting means for guiding the upper ends of said guide struts along a predetermined path when said supporting struts are moved between the two positions, and means associated in fixed relationship with each of said axles for guiding the lower ends of said guide struts parallel to the upper ends thereof, whereby said wheels are maintained substantially vertically for all positions of said supporting struts.

6. An undercarriage for a golf club carrier comprising a pair of wheels, a pair of supporting struts pivotally attached to axles on which said wheels are rotatably mounted, a pair of guide struts pivoted at intermediate portions to intermediate portions of said supporting struts, connecting means pivotally connected to upper ends of said supporting struts to enable said supporting struts to move between a closed position with said supporting struts adjacent one another and an extended position with the supporting struts diverging, means associated with said connecting means for guiding'the upper ends of said guide struts along a predetermined path when said supporting struts are moved between the two positions, and means associated with the lower ends of said guide struts for guiding the lower ends of said guide struts parallel to the upper ends thereof, whereby said wheels are maintained substantially vertically for all positions of said supporting struts.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,442,906 Rawlings Ian. 23, 1923 2,599,928 Lyons June 10, 1952 2,760,782 Hartzell Aug. 28, 1956 2,799,315 Strasburg July 16, 1957 2,857,168 Neaverson et al. Oct. 21, 1958 FOREIGN PATENTS 519,351 Canada Dec. 13, 1955 

